Speech at China Agricultural University School of Law

Perhaps not quite on par with the Great Wall or the Forbidden City, yet meeting the about 150 law students was pretty exciting – even for my 10-year-old daughter, Sydney (she took the photo). Think of China Agricultural University as a Davis/WSU/Cornell with a Law School.

I had been invited to speak by Dean Yu Huajiang and Sub-Dean Ge Min. My talk, which I posted earlier, was an overview of the US Civil Justice System – specifically, how food litigation happens. The students were engaged and most spoke English extremely well. Many of the questions involved comparing the Chinese regulatory model with the US version. Some wondered about restrictions on Chinese imports due to food safety issues over the last few years. We also had a long discussion about whether a jury trial of citizens was the best way to seek justice.

What I found most interesting is how open the students were about problems that they saw in their legal system, yet how clear-eyed they are about the problems in ours.

One very interesting question was somewhat personal. One of the students wanted to know how I managed to run a law practice, travel the US and the world speaking about food safety and the civil justice system, and still have a family. Tough question. It helps to have great, intelligent daughters and a supportive wife that understands that I love my job.